HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – If you like to smoke and drink at the
same time, this evening marks the final night Voodoo Lounge Bar & Grill in
downtown Huntsville will allow you to light up inside.

Voodoo, which is known for its smoky nighttime atmosphere and
live blues and rock music, has joined a growing number of businesses that have adopted indoor
smoking bans.

Voodoo owner Lance Almon Smith said his six-year-old bar and music
venue on 110 South Side Square will go smoke-free as a New Year's resolution starting
Thursday. To prepare customers for the change, Voodoo began selling
e-cigarettes last week.

Smith, who opened the business in April 2007, said Voodoo conducted
a recent Facebook poll of 100 customers, and six out of 10 voters said they would
frequent the establishment more if it went smoke-free.

Record sublets her space from Kaffeeklatsch owner Grant
Heath, who decided it was time for the bar portion to go non-smoking. Since making
the move, Record said the response from customers has been "smoother than
expected."

"It's a new day and I will fight to keep this business rolling
along," she said. "To quote Townes Van Zandt, it's better than ' ...
waitin' around to die.' "

An announcement last week on Voodoo's Facebook page said the
bar will offer an heated outdoor smoking area and e-cigarette kits in Marlboro,
Camel and menthol flavors for $23 each.

Smith, a local blues musician, said more customers were using e-cigarettes even
before the smoking ban was announced, so it was a somewhat natural progression
for Voodoo to go non-smoking.

The bar and grill will monitor the smoking ban's effect on
business for the first part of the year and decide later whether it will remain
non-smoking, Smith said.

"The response on Facebook has been overwhelmingly positive,"
he said. "There have been a couple of people who didn't like the idea, but that's
to be expected."